Backstage Interviews at 'Dancing With the Stars': Maks and Kirstie on Their Week Three Fall

"Personal story" night always yields some heartfelt moments on 'Dancing With the Stars' and last night's installment of that theme was no exception as several stars cut open some veins, revealing stories of deep personal loss. They then incorporated those stories into their dances.

The decisions that the stars and dancers made yielded some interesting results: Hines Ward and Petra Nemcova tied for first place, taking the top position from previous front-runner Ralph Macchio.

But the most dramatic moment of last night's performance was when Maksim Chmerkovskiy suffered a spasm in his thigh, which sent him and partner Kirstie Alley to the dance floor, shortly after they began their dance.

The Ukrainian-born ballroom bad boy and comedic actress extraordinaire quickly composed themselves, however, and resumed their rumba to 'Over the Rainbow,' earning applause from the audience and classy comments from the judges, who praised them for their inspiring comeback.

After the show, the stars and their pro dance partners reflected on the highs and lows of the evening. TV Squad was on the scene to get the scoop.

"[I feel] great," Chmerkovskiy told TV Squad after the show. "I feel about 100 lbs. lighter because that's how much ego is left over there on the dance floor. It's fine. [My thigh] gave out and I guess it happens."

Chmerkovskiy was mostly bummed about the slip because it took focus away from Alley. "The show's about Kirstie," he says.

"I thought Maks was kidding [when he fell]," says Alley. "About three days ago he said let's do something in our routine that's really funny. When it happened I was like, seriously, Maks? Then I saw he was hurt. I was like, 'Are you all right?' And he keeps on dancing."

Chmerkovskiy was soothed by the fact that the judges took the high road when they gave their post-dance comments, praising the couple for continuing the dance despite the fall.

"If ever I was pissed at them and vocal about it, now is the time to thank them," he says. "They focused on the dancing."

"Once I realized he wasn't hurt I was so relieved," Alley says. "He said very calmly, 'Let's keep dancing.' This is a journey with [Maks and me]. Every day at practice there's something different. This is part of the journey and I think this will make us better together."

Maks and Kirstie weren't the only couple who dealt with a snafu -- Kendra Wilkinson nearly got lost in special effects smoke, preventing her from joining partner Louis van Amstel on the floor.

"We'd practiced it so many times but with the air-conditioning on," sighs van Amstel. "But [during the show] it was off. We warned them."

"I stopped knowing I was over-smoked," says Wilkinson. "I had to figure out where I was."

Ward and Nemcova emerged as the new front-runners after doing impressive samba and waltz, respectively.

"I'm astounded," said an elated Ward.

"I kind of knew that he had this [in him]," says Ward's pro partner, Kym Johnson.

Johnson had a near fall during her routine. "I stopped myself with my heels," she says. "Then, [Hines] got me. I nearly ended up in the orchestra with [band leader] Harold Wheeler!"

Many feel the votes from the audience are more important than the numbers on the judges' paddles. While Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke failed to get particularly high scores, the wrestler's emotional tribute to his late mother was an audience favorite.

"Technique is technique, but emotion is something that you can't manufacture," Jericho says. "It's either there or it's not. As an emotional performance [this] was probably the best one I'll ever do. I'd rather have people crying than have people going, 'Oh, his form was great.'"

"That's all people are going to remember," Burke says of her partner's heartfelt honoring of his mother. "[They'll remember] that emotion."

'Dancing With the Stars' airs Mondays at 8PM ET and Tuesdays at 9PM ET on ABC.

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91 Comments

GO KRISTIE GO, AND DON'T LISTEN TO ALL THOSE STUPID IGNORANTS. FOCUS ON YOUR DANCE SKILLS AND ENJOY THE MOMENT. YOU ARE A GOOD ACTRESS . I ENJOYED ALL YOUR PREVIOUS MOVIES WITH JOHN TRAVOLTA, ETC. YOU SHOULD BE BACK TO ACTING IN MOVIES AGAIN. I WISH YOU THE BEST. YOU DID THE RIGHT THING WHEN YOU ACCEPTED DANCING WITH THE STARS. THAT WILL GIVE YOU A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF. KEEP IT UP. I HOPE YOU WIN THE TRPHY.

Nothing against large Ladies, but I think her weight had something to do with the fall. Max is pretty strong, and I think they should not have tried that step. Glad they got the scores they did. She has done real well under the circomstances. Just wish she was a little more focused and stop the funny business. Ward did great and hope he continues. The stories they all told were very touching.

Everyone that wrote rude and mean things about Kirstie must be ugly and sin and hates their selfs so they're taking it out on Kirstie. Their just jealous because Kirstie is happy with her looks. She's a real woman. Not a skinny size 0 person who can't eat anything so they can stay a size 0. Look in the mirror.

If Kirstie is so happy with her looks, why did she w**** herself out for those weight loss adds a few years ago? Kirstie has nobody to blame for her current laughingstock status bur herself. If she cared what people think about her, she wouldn't have w***** herself off a second time on the moronic reality gig.

Stuff Happens! Once again you faced your challenge, (fear), to rise above it...So incredibly glad for you..To my mind the two of you are already champions, working through a minor snafu to complete your spin around the dance floor, that take something special. Congrats to all the participants, anyone who has ever tried ballroom dancing and taken classes to do so knows it's not as easy as you folks make it seem...